The Duke Blue Devils are back in the Final Four. Yawn. A team with a loaded roster has done what it was expected to do. Cooper Flagg and Duke's best team in quite some time ran through the NCAA Tournament field with relative ease. There is a chance they could struggle on their way to a National Title, but I might bet against that. Duke defeated Alabama, a team which finished third in the loaded SEC, but 20 when all was said and done.
As great as Flagg and this roster are, Jon Scheyer deserves credit for garnering their interest to begin with. Scheyer was an unproven hire when Duke asked him to replace Mike Krzyzewski. However, there was always a chance he wouldn't be available, as Scheyer had multiple interviews for head coaching gigs before Duke gave him the call.
Jon Scheyer had opportunities before Duke
If we're looking for names, I'd blame DePaul and UNLV specifically. While there is something to be said about a former Duke star recruiting future Blue Devils players, given what we know now there is little doubt someone like Scheyer would've been successful elsewhere. Duke was just the best possible scenario, and the timing worked out.
Hell, Scheyer was a Chicago native! If anyone could've convinced high-profile recruits in the area to stay home, it's him. He knows how tough it is to leave home and play at a Blue Blood in comparison. Scheyer could've used that information to his advantage, and DePaul would likely be better for it.
UNLV had the best chance at landing Jon Scheyer
UNLV also deserves some shade here. Rather than hire Scheyer, UNLV went with Kevin Kruger, who was fired recently after four seasons and no NCAA Tournament appearances. What other evidence do you need? Per the Las Vegas Journal-Review, Scheyer was more excited about the UNLV job than DePaul. He never got the chance to coach the Rebels.
Scheyer has been surprisingly open about his experience prior to becoming the Duke head coach. With that comes what if's, especially if he can lead the Blue Devils to an NCAA Tournament victory. While the Rebels athletic department had their reasons not to hire Scheyer at the time, Duke's run ought to make them reconsider their best practices. The same can be said about DePaul, which has a history of making, um, the wrong choices.
There is a reason programs like Duke end up with the best players and coaches. Some of it has to do with pedigree, sure, but some of the blame can go on organizational incompetence.